Women in Mining Nigeria Launches ‘Girls for Mining’, ‘Soft Hat Girls’ Chapters in Edo State

Moving aggressively to bridge the gender gap in Nigeria’s extractive industries, Women in Mining Nigeria (WIMIN) has officially launched its signature mentorship programs, Girls for Mining (G4M) and Soft Hat Girls, in Benin City, Edo State.

The launch anchors a deliberate “catch them young” institutional campaign to introduce schoolgirls to mineral sciences, engineering, and sustainable environmental practices. The event brought together dozens of secondary school students from premier regional institutions, including Federal Government Girls College (FGGC) Benin City, Idia College, St. Maria Goretti Girls’ Grammar School, and Anglican Girls’ Grammar School (AGGS).

Under the national leadership of WIMIN President Engr. (Dr.) Janet Febisola Adeyemi, the G4M club has expanded into a formidable national pipeline since its inception on International Women’s Day in March 2022. The initiative counteracts a stark historical baseline where female participation in Nigeria’s mining workforce sits at less than seven percent.

By deploying chapters across Abuja, Plateau, Taraba, Ekiti, Bauchi, Osun, and now Edo State, WIMIN is building a robust, nationwide network of future female geologists, engineers, and industry executives.

Concurrently, the launch tackled critical social vulnerabilities affecting young women in the region. Operating under the theme “Early Marriage Discouraged in Young Girls,” keynote speakers positioned advanced STEM education and industrial training as vital socio-economic shields.

The programs are strategically tiered to address these issues:
• Girls for Mining (G4M): Exposes senior students to core technical disciplines, mineral mapping, and processing tech.
• Soft Hat Girls: Cultivates early leadership development, foundational soft skills, and career counseling to ease transitions into heavy vocational fields.

“We are moving past nominal advocacy to deliver structured, metrics-driven curriculum directly to the classroom,” stated school coordinators during the inauguration.

Over a three-term calendar year, the newly inducted cohorts will complete specialized modules ranging from foundation earth sciences and geospatial mapping to “Green Mining” reclamation and personal site safety protocols. The technical curriculum is augmented by practical field excursions to local quarries, regulatory laboratories, and corporate speed-mentoring setups with practicing female industry experts.

By providing structural support, visible professional role models, and clear paths into the solid minerals sector, the WIMIN Edo State Chapter is equipping the next generation of Nigerian women to transition seamlessly from the classroom to the boardroom.